When the sun goes down, Wairarapa’s star studded night skies light up and this month is laden with opportunities to celebrate those starry skies in our district and further afield during International Dark Sky Week, which kicks off on Monday 13 April, running through to Monday 20 April. This is an eventful month with Wairarapa Nature @ Night (Monday 13 April to Monday 27 April) and Conservation Week also providing calendars of opportunities for starry night get-togethers with family, whanau and friends on the shores of Wairarapa Moana as well as at other get-togethers.

A full list of night sky events in South Wairarapa is posted below – scroll down to see all the opportunities for star-studded events.

Above: Starry starry night above Cape Palliser Lighthouse. Photograph by Mark Gee.

International Dark Sky Week is more than a chance to enjoy the beauty of our region’s skies, says Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve Project Coordinator Charlotte Harding – “Dark Sky Week is also a chance to reflect on how we use lighting in our homes and outside with a free DIY Home Outdoor Lighting Assessment.”

The DIY Home Outdoor Lighting Assessment encourages the community to reduce power bills and enhance the region’s star studded skies because poor outdoor lighting affects more than your wallet. It can disrupt wildlife, confuse birds and insects, impact human sleep patterns, waste energy, contribute to climate change and wash out our beautiful night skies,” says Harding.

“We can all reduce our lighting use year round and this month offers us all a chance measure our lighting use in a structured way with the free assessment. Small changes can have a big impact and the Home Lighting Assessment is easy to work through at home and full of practical, achievable ideas to help protect our starry skies – and save power”

South Wairarapa and Carterton districts were officially certified as the Wairarapa Dark Sky Reserve in January 2023, covering 3,665 square kilometres across the region.

The free Home Outdoor Lighting Assessment is available on the Council website at: swdc.govt.nz/wairarapa-international-dark-sky-reserve 

Check out Wairarapa Nature @ Night events in South Wairarapa

Matt the Bat @ Martinborough Storywalk® at Considine Park, Martinborough – Monday 13 to Monday 27 April

Dark Sky Stout at Martinborough Brewery – Monday 13 to Monday 27 April

Globe at Night Citizen Science, in your own backyard! – Monday 13 to Saturday 18 April

Nocturnal Creature Hunt at Chicken & Frog Bookshop, Featherston – Thursday 16 to Monday 20 April, 10am to 4pm

Discover your Backyard with iNaturalist at The Bakehouse Collective, Featherston – Monday 20 April, 12pm to 1pm and 6.30pm to 7.30pm

Aro matawai – Wairarapa Moana by Night at Lake Domain Reserve, Featherston – Sunday 26 April, 7pm to 9pm

See the full programme at: www.wairarapadarksky.nz/nature-at-night